4.  The applicant was born in 1946 and lives in Skopje.
5.  On 3 December 1986 the then Municipality of Centre, Skopje (“the Municipality”) expropriated a house, two separate rooms and a plot of land (“the property”) which had been in the applicant's and her mother's possessions. The expropriation award (“the award”) was to be agreed upon by the parties concerned. After that decision had been set aside, on 27 May 1987 the Municipality decided the case again stating that the award would be determined in separate proceedings. On 11 July 1987 that decision became final. On 21 October 1987, after three attempts to settle before the Municipality had failed because of, apparently, the applicant's absence, the case was referred to the competent court to determine the award. These proceedings started on 16 November 1987.
6. Between 16 November 1987 and 26 December 1996 the first-instance court fixed thirty-nine hearings of which: fourteen hearings were adjourned because of incorrect summons; nine hearings were postponed due to the applicant's absence; and thirteen hearings were adjourned at the latter's request. During this time, two expert reports were drawn up concerning the value of the property. In 1995 the Skopje Court of First Instance established the applicant and her brother as heirs of their mother's claim who died in 1989. The impugned proceedings continued thereafter with the applicant and her brother as claimants.
7. On 26 February 1997 the Municipality made an offer of compensation, which the claimants rejected on 7 April 1997. On 21 April 1997 the latter proposed another amount allegedly corresponding to the market value of the property.
8.  On 19 May 1997 the first-instance court granted the applicant's request for an additional expert valuation of the property. It adjourned a hearing listed on 24 September 1997 and ordered the valuation. On 30 October 1997 the applicant requested the court to appoint another expert arguing that the expert's fee determined by the State Forensic Institute (“the Institute”) on 24 October 1997 was excessive.
9. Hearings of 25 February, 6 May and 3 June 1998 were adjourned since the Municipality's representative had been either absent or had failed to place an offer of compensation.
10. On 6 July 1998 the applicant requested another expert report concerning the property's value. This report was communicated to the court on 28 April 1999. On 14 May 1999 the court returned it to the Institute as incomplete. On 24 June 1999 the Institute requested the court to order the applicant to pay expert's fee for the additional opinion.
11.  A hearing fixed on 7 February 2000 was adjourned at the Municipality's request in order to study the expert report. Hearings scheduled for 7 April and 5 June 2000 were postponed, also at the Municipality's request.
12. Hearings of 4 October 2000 and 20 June 2001 were adjourned due to the expert's absence. Hearings fixed for 17 September and 7 November 2001 were adjourned because of absence of the first-instance judge. On a hearing of 26 December 2001, the court heard evidence from the parties and the experts who had drawn up the report.
13. On 1 February 2002 the Skopje Court of First Instance upheld the claimants' claim awarding them 2,814,500 Macedonian denars (MKD) (approximately 46,150 euros) plus interest, to be paid by the City of Skopje. This decision was served on the parties in August 2002.
14. On 22 August 2002 the City of Skopje appealed. On 11 September 2002 the applicant informed the court that she would not file any submission in reply.
15. On 9 October 2002 the Skopje Court of Appeal quashed the decision of 1 February 2002 and remitted the case for a renewed examination ordering the lower court, inter alia, to determine the beneficiary of the expropriation, to reassess the evidence and to re-establish the facts.
16. None of three hearings scheduled between 19 February and 7 July 2003 was adjourned at the applicant's request. During this time, the first-instance court communicated the case to the Municipality and a public enterprise and received submissions only by the former.
17. On 7 July 2003 the Skopje Court of First Instance awarded the claimants the same award of compensation as earlier and ordered its payment by the City of Skopje again. This decision was served on the applicant on 18 November 2003. No appeal having been lodged, it became final on 30 January 2004.
18. On 27 February 2004 the applicant requested enforcement of the above decision. On 10 September 2004 the award, together with interest (MKD 4,303,326,50 or approximately EUR 70,100), was transferred from the City of Skopje to the applicant.